Silent Letters

Final -e is often pronounced as a short schwa sound /ə/, but in some dialects and fast speech it can be very faint or nearly silent, so learners should listen for a subtle vowel rather than skipping it completely.

Final -t and -d are usually pronounced clearly in standard German, but in rapid speech the -t can weaken and the -d may sound like a soft -t, so they are rarely fully silent; learners should aim for a light consonant rather than omission.

Final -s is normally pronounced /s/ or /z/ depending on the word, and is not silent in standard German; however, learners should produce it consistently to signal plural or genitive forms clearly.

The ge- prefix in past participles is typically pronounced, but in some dialects or rapid speech it can be reduced or dropped, so learners should recognize both forms when listening even though the full ge- is standard in writing and careful speech.

The letter h is never truly silent: it either lengthens the preceding vowel or marks a slight glottal sound; it does not vanish without trace, so learners should use it to guide vowel length rather than skip it.

Double consonants signal that the preceding vowel is short, but both consonant letters are not always fully pronounced twice; learners should focus on vowel length while producing a single, clear consonant sound rather than trying to articulate a geminate.

Silent letters in German are rare; more often letters signal vowel length or are weakened in rapid speech, so learners benefit from paying attention to subtle sounds like the schwa, vowel length cues, and light consonants rather than expecting wholesale omissions.